DEAR ABBY: I work in an office that's made up of cubicles, so there is little privacy. After two years at this job, I have, for the most part, learned to block out background noise. However, my co-worker "Gina," who sits in the cubicle next to mine, talks to herself constantly.
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This woman provides me with a running diatribe of every single task she does all day long: "Hit enter, file-save -- OK, done!" "Open new file," "Delete," etc. Her monologue goes on and on. It's extremely distracting and annoying. I have talked to my bosses more than once about it, and they've talked to Gina, but still she continues.
I feel like I'm slowly going insane. And now that I'm pregnant, my nerves are even more on edge. Her constant verbalizing has become too much to bear. What's the answer, Abby? -- GOING NUTS AT WORK IN REDDING, CALIF.
DEAR GOING NUTS: Your co-worker may not even be aware that she's talking aloud when she does it. If it's possible, move to another cubicle. If it's not, then, in the interest of your mental health, invest in a pair of earphones that can mask her monologue with "white noise" or music -- anything to block out her muttering. Pregnancy is difficult enough without stress.